This invention relates to oscillator circuits, and in particular to a monolithic oscillator circuit which may be integrated in a chip of small size.
In certain technologies, such as light emitting diode packaging, it is desirable to provide some means of pulsing the diode for greater efficiency. For example, it is known that the luminescent efficiency of green GaP, GaAsP or phosphor-coated GaAs diodes can be maximized by pulsing the diodes at a high current density and short duty cycle. Therefore, in applications where the diode will be powered by a D.C. potential, it is desirable to provide an oscillator circuit in series therewith.
The present state of the art includes many designs of oscillator circuits which usually include resistor-capacitor networks to achieve the proper frequency stability (see, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 3,870,971 issued to Takahashi). Although conventional resistor-capacitor circuits may be used for this purpose, they cannot conveniently be made small enough to fit within the standard diode package.
It is therefore a primary object of the invention to provide an oscillator circuit capable of generating the appropriate pulse frequency which can be fabricated in a chip of small size.